Method and apparatus for feeding and melting glass batch



Aug. 30, 1932. K. E. PEILER 1,874,799

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING AND NELTING GLASS BATCH Filed Nov. 4. 192'? v 6 Egg. 33 25 ,/30

W v Jude/77514 172766.5- Hal 115 .196176]:

Patented Aug. 30,

UNITED STATES [PATE T OFFICE KARL E. rmm, OF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT ASBIGNOB TO HARTFORD-EI- PIRE COMPANY, OF HABTFOED, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 01 DELAWARE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING AND HELTING GLASS BATCH Application filed November 4, 1987. Serial No. 231,014.

My invention relates to methods of and apparatus for feeding batch mixtures of glassmakin materials into a melting furnace and for ma ing glass therefrom.

It has heretofore been the practice, in the manufacture of glass, to melt the glass-making ingredients in the rearward end of large continuous tanks, in which large surfaces must be brought to the melting temperature to effect the adequate fusing and rehnin of the glass. The batch ingredients in t ese prior art devices are mixed in a dry state and are periodically fed, either mechanically or .by hand, in substantial quantities directly into the tank and on top of lpreviously melted glass standing therein. usion is accomplished by heat applied to the surface of the atch as it floats upon the heavier glass below it. This method of melting is extremely slow and the heating of large areas of furnace structure and glass for long periods of time in order to accomplish t e complete vitrification of the batch and the elimination of air and gas is expensive. The raw batch so fed into these large tanks is often melted in contact with the walls of the tank and always in a bath of glass which is in such contact. As a result, rapid erosion of the walls takes place, which not only is destructive to the tank, but, through the introduction of material from the walls, causes changes in the com osition and physical condition of the glass. ence, the glass delivered at the working end of these furnaces is often of physical and chemical characteristics other than desired or expected. Furthermore, the

old methods of melting the glass are slow, thearrangement of the tanks being such that in order to maintain the required balance of temperature for the different glass-making operations taking lace therein, the melting temperature must 'a compromise temperature and cannot exceed certain limits imposed b the heat requirements of operations other t an melting. The balance of temperatures in such furnaces is often difiicult to maintain, and when not properly maintained for the proper long periods of time unmelted batch or ina uatel melted batch is often carried forwar to t e front end of the furnace and destroys the quality of the glass taken therefrom. My invention aids in the elimination of these and numerous other undesirable conditions often existing in these prior art furnaces.

Among the objects of my invention is the provision of a method and apparatus by which the glass batch is melted while out of contact with any refractory material and any previously melted glass. This tends to assure that the chemical and physical characteristics of the glass delivered from the furnace remain constant and as intended in the selection of the batch.

Another object of my invention is to provide methods and means by which the melting or fusing operation may take place rapidly at temperatures higher than those heretofore used and by which this temperature can be applied over a relatively small area of structure, but a relatively large surface of batch, thus increasing the speed and completeness of the fusing operation while reducin the ailnount of heat necessary to melt a umt of g ass.

Another object is the provision of method and means for continuously feeding batch at constant rates and for continuously reducing the batch to completely fused glass having 'a minimum of included gases to be removed by later refining operations.

Another object of my invention is to continuously feed the batch at a regular, selected and constant rate and to melt the glass at a similar constant rate, whereby the level of the glass at the workin end of the'tank is maintained constant. he accomplishment of this object has a great advantage over the old methods, particularly when' automatic means for delivering the glass from the furnace are used..

A further object of my invention is to provide methods and means whereby the batch is preformed into a solid stick or column and so fed into the melting zone as distinguished from the old method of feeding dry pulverulent batch into the tank. The accomplishment of this object avoids the difliculty, present in theprior methods and caused by the currents of gases through the furnace which glass batch in a refining or tem chamber with the rate of melting tend to separate andcarr away through the flues and elsewhere the 'ghter constituents of d batch.

Ot er objects of my invention will from the attached specification and c aims.

Generally, my met 0d comprises intimately mixing finely divided ingredients of the batch in the resence of moisture and extruding the mixture from a mill or through a die in a solid column, subjecting the column, asformed, to a settin treatment to harden it, and then feeding t e column continuously end on into a melting chamber or zone in which the end portion of the column is suspended out of contact with the refractory walls. The melting chamber or zone is heated to a temperature suflicient for the rapid and complete melting tions of the column, which ortions, as they melt and form glass, pass 'rectly into the ring chamber. I coordinate the rate of ormation of the column and the feeding thereof into the of the end portions, so that the column is re need, by the melting at a rate corresponding to the rate at which it is fed further into the heated chamber.

My method may also provide a distinct step of preheating of the column to a temperature below the actual fluxin tem erature before or as it passes into t e me tin chamber or zone, though this additional an distinct preheating may be omitted.

In the attached drawing, I have dia ammatically illustrated apparatus suitab e for carrying out my novel method, in which Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of a portion of the apparatus of Fig. 1 taken from the right of Fig. 1; and I Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the structure shown in Fig; 1, taken on the line 3-3 thereof.

The apparatus shown in the drawing comprises a furnace or tank enerally designated as 10 having a refining c amber or receptacle 11 and a melting compartment 12. The melting compartment is mounted above the refining chamber 11 and communicates therewith through an opening 13. Preferably, the entire tank and more particularl the melting chamber 12, has a lining 14 0 high quality refractory material, such, for mstance, as that disclosed in the patent to Paul G. Willetts, assignor to the Hartford-Empire Company, No. 1,605,885, dated Nov. 2, 1926. This lining 14 is surrounded by heat insulating material 15, such as sil-o-cel, and the en.-

tire structure may be encased in a suitable casing 16.

The meltin chamber 12 is substantially cylindrical an has an axial o or passage 17 at its top for the on of "batch appear of the end per thereinto. Preferably, the opening 13 in the bottom of the melting chamber 12 is also axial.

A. mixing device, such as an anger mill, indicated at 18 and having an opening19, in axial alignment with the o enmg 17 of the melting chamber, is provi ed and suitably spaced from the chamber to permit glass batch, which may be mixed in the presence of moisture therein and extruded therefrom, to undergo suitable setting operations prior to being fed into the chamber.

Between the mill 18 and the melting chamber, I provide one or more pairs of feeding devices, generally indicated at 20, to support and continuously feed the extruded column of batch-making material 21 toward and into the melting chamber.

The proper proportions of the several glass-making ingredients fed to the mixing device are intimately mixed therein-in the presence of moisture and extruded as a column or stick at a selected rate through the opening 19. As this column issues from the opening 19 it begins to set, and at this point any suitable devices, such as burners or a preheating chamber (not shown), may be introduced to' assist in settin of the column. The column of batch as fe is continuously moved downward by the feeding devices 20 at a constant selected rate to continuously position the end of the column into the meltcompartment.

he compartment 12 is rovided with a suitable aperture 22 throug which may be projected the flame from a burner or other source of heat 23. Preferably, the opening 22 is such, and the burner 23 so arranged, that a flame tangential to the walls of the heating chamber will be projected thereinto. Such a flame will fully and evenly heat the walls and all interior portions of the melting chamber and will evenly beat all portions of the end of the column of batch-making material. The products of combustion may be carried ofi in any suitable manner, as for instance through the opening 13, thence above the surface of the glass in the container 11, as indicated by arrows, and throu h a suitable stack, not shown. A stack may provided at any suitable point in the apparams 7 up of an endless chain 25 upon which is mounted a plurality of semi-cylindrical grippers 26, each adapted to cooperate with a similar member on the other chain of the pair to embrace the cylindrical column of batch and to carry it downward by the movement of the members. As shown, there is provid gal a pair of spaced rectangular frames 27, mounted on the casing 16 above the melting chamber, the frames carrying suitable upper and lower bearings 28 and 28 in which are mounted shafts 30 and 29, respectively. Each pair of shafts 29 and 30 respectively carry sprockets 31 and 32 on which one of the chains is mounted. The up er shafts respectively carry worm whee s 33 and 34 adapted to be driven respectively from the worms 35 and 36 mounted on a shaft 37 ro-' driven from an electric motor or any other suitable source of power (not shown) at any selected and constant speed.

Toinsure proper gripping effect of the grippers 26 upon the column of batch during 1ts effective feeding movement, I provide means for supporting the flexible chain 25 during the working portion of its path. Thus, guiding contact members 40 and 41 are provided to coact respectively with the chains 25 by forming a rubbing contact between such members and the back surface of the chains during the working portion of the path of movement of the chains. The guide members 40 and 41 are mounted in recesses or slots 43 in suitable cross members 42 connecting the frame members 27, and may be adjusted toward and from the column of batch by the screws 44.

The operation of the mechanism above described 1n the performance of my method is as follows-suitable batch ingredients are admitted in proper proportions into the mixing' and extruding mill or device 18 together with such proportion of water as is necessary to render the mixture plastic, so that when extruded it retains the form imparted to it in passing the opening 19. The column of batch is hardened or set through exposure to the atmosphere or by suitable means provided in aid of this setting. As the column 21 passes downward, successive portions thereof are gripped by the successive pairs of grippers 26 and carried forward thereby as the chains 25 move downwardly. As each pair of grippers 26 comes into gripping relation with the column of batch, the links of the chain upon which they are carried comes into contact with the guide members 41 and 42, and the grippers are thus held in proper contacting relation with the column of batch.

The feeding device may be of any desired length, or a plurality of such devices may be used. The column of batch is introduced into the opening 17 in the top of the melting chamber and thence into the melting chamber, in which it is suspended out of contact with the bottom and side walls of the chamber. As the batch passes through the opening 17, it becomes preheated from the heat accumulating in that passage from the melting chamber. If desired, further and ositive prelfeatin'g of the batch ma be had y the provision of a chamber simi ar to'the melting chamber, but supplied with a less degree of heat, interposed between the melting chamber and the extruding device.- As the end of the batch is moved downwardly through the opening 17 and into the melting chamber 12 proper, it is enveloped into the intensely heated atmosphere of that chamber. Its outer surface is rapidly fused and converted into glass which flows downwardly from the end of the batch column, through the opening 13 and into the refining chamber or receiving receptacle 11. It is thus apparent that the melting batch is never in contact with a refractory part of the melting chamber.

By this method, I am able to melt glass at l a very high rate r unit of heated surface and to deliver, to t e refining or working end of the tank, glass of uniform chemical and physical characteristics substantially unadulterated by elements contained in the refractory materials used in the furnace.

My novel method of melting is of articular value in connection with recent evelopments in the art of glass makin for instance, such as are described in t e United States patent application of Vergil Mulholland, Serial No. 169,213, filed February 18, 1927, in which the glass is handled in narrow, shallow compartments which are heat separated from each other and which have separate heat control, though its use is not necessarily limited to that particular. type of tank. My invention has great utility 1n all tanks in which it is desired either to decrease the time of melting per unit of heated area or in which it is desired to insure the uniformity of the glass finally made, or to maintain a constant level of the glass.

I have shown and described a device in which the column of glass is fed downwardly from the mixing mill and is suspended from above into the melting chamber. It is obvious that my method might be employed in a device which provides the entry into the melting chamber of the column of batch in some other direction, as for instance, horizontally or obliquely to the horizontal. It

is also obvious that various modifications of the form and character of themelting chamber, the means for mixing and forming the column of batch, and the means for feedirg it to the 'melting chamber may be 'vari within wide limits within the spirit of my invention, as set forth by the a pended claims, which are to be construed as y as the artwill permit.

I claim as my invention:

1 Apparatus for feeding and melting batch of glass-making material. comprising meansjfor intimately the-batch ingradients and extrudingthe same-in a solid continuous column, means for continuously feeding the same toward a melting means, means for directing a combustion flame into enveloping relation to the end of the column for melting oflf end portions thereof and 'thereby to form glass out of contact with any glass contamlnating material, and means for receiving the glass so made.

2. Apparatus for making glass from batch of glass-making materials, comprising a I melting compartment, means for continuous- 1y forming a column of batch, means for moving the column continuously toward and iritoglthe melting compartment and for suspending it therein out of contact with the "1 bottom and walls thereof, means for preheating5:,the column as it approaches the melting compartment, means for projecting :a; heating-medium into the compartmentland 'tofcause it 'tc.m'ove inf anfencirclin'g path about the suspended-co1umn v of batch to reduce the endfpontifonaof the column to molten glass, andi means -for receiving the glass 'so formed."

3. The-imethod; t' fe eding and melting glass making-batch; whichzcom'prises, con- -tinuouslyqnixinggglass making material in the'presence =ofi' moisture and extruding the same in a roil-ilike iformfthroughav die, setting theimatei'ial in such form, feeding and guidingi saiil rod. .endwis'e through "a 'preheating 'zoiie towafrd'and into amelting chamber', suspending the rod ofzbatch'in' the chamber'ofit ofccntact' w'vith'the bottom a'ndpside walls thereof, projecting a "combustion "flame into the chambei'. and intoj enveloping .rela- 'rduce the lower portion 1- of; the batch' to imelte'd'rglassg a dmewinz -the, in.elt'ed iglass refining. compartment.

a s a ms f, 'finalcingglass than comprises, a 'ri'efining chamber, ;a melting chamber abovethe refining" chamber, an'o'pen passage there betwe'eng means forv continuously moving a solid. column of molded batch into the melting chamber. and suspending it therein above the: passage-and out'of contact with the walls'ofithe.ineltingjchamber, and means for creating aEheated-atmosphre inthe melting chamber envelopinglthe suspended batch to.reduce'.the end portions thereof to melted "glass and'as such todrop through'thepa'ssage into the re'finin'g'chamber; i

Signed at Hartford, Connecticut, this 3rd day of November,1927.-

'2' PEILER. 

